The Tux Times

THE London College of Fashion is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the tuxedo by teaming up with Savile Row tailor Henry Poole & Co, the label who created the first tuxedo look. Students of the university have been asked to create a reinvented version of the tuxedo for the 21st Century, which will then be showcased in a new exhibition - starting in New York and later moving onto Harrods in September.

"When we discovered that Henry Poole & Co had invented the first tuxedo it presented us with a wonderful opportunity to run a project with our bespoke tailoring students to celebrate the 150th anniversary of this iconic garment," says Steven Dell, programme director of Design and Craft at London College of Fashion. "The whole process has been really rewarding - although the brief was tough it gave the students a framework to explore their creativity without boundaries. I am delighted with the calibre of the work - the students have really excelled."

The students have each partnered with an actor or actress muse from sister college Central Saint Martins' Drama Centre, who they have based their unique designs upon. The exhibition will not only display the students' work, but also a retrospective look at the history of the tuxedo - with photographs of fashion names wearing their favourite tuxedo jacket.

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"I wore my first tuxedo aged ten when I was a page boy at my cousin's wedding," says British Fashion Council chairman, Harold Tillman. "It was white double-breasted. Wearing a tuxedo instantly makes one feel like they are at an occasion."

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